Card-file.



No. 726,436. PATENTED-A-PR. 23, 1903.

- 0. KECK.

. CARD FILE.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 10 1902. N0 MODEL. I

llniiirisio states PATIENT Christa.

CHRISTIAN KECK, OF CRESCENT SPRINGS, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR TO THE GLOBE-WERNICKE COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OI'IIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

CARD' IFIILE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 726,436, dated April 28, 1903.

Applicationfiled December 10, 1902. Seria1No.18 i,689. (N0 model- '1'0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN KEOK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Crescent Springs, in the county of Kenton and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Card-Files, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to files for index or other cards for use in libraries, offices, and other places Where cards are used for purposes of indexing accounts or reference; and it has for its object the improved construction of such files whereby their ease of manipulation, security, and efficiency are increased.

The novelty of my invention will be hereinafter more fully set forth, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of a card-file embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a central sectional side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail end elevation looking toward the front wall of the file, showing the housing partly broken away and showing the operating mechanism. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional end elevation of the card retaining and releasing rods and their actuating-cam with the card-rods spread to hold the cards locked. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail elevation of the follower and connected parts. Fig. 6 is a sectional side elevation of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a broken perspective view of the card retaining and releasing rods at one end thereof. Fig. 8 is a broken elevation of the lower part of one of the cards, showing the opening therein for the retaining and releasing rods.

The same letters of reference are used to indicate identical parts in all the figures.

In its preferred form of construction the file is a drawer, of which a series is usually employed and contained in a suitable case or cabinet. The drawer may havean interior width just sufficient to contain a single row of cards, which stand on edge transversely of the drawer, or it may be wide enough to have two or more card-compartments side by side and extending from the front to the rear of the drawer. I have onlyillustrated a drawer with a single card-compartment; but itwill be readily understood that this may be 'duplicated or pluralized intoa drawer with any number of compartments desired, the mechanism in each compartment being identical with that illustrated and to be described.

In the drawings, A represents the bottom of the drawer; B, its side walls; C, its front wall, and D its rear wall. There is a slot E through the bottom of the drawer at its middle extending its entire length for the passage of the bottom lug or foot-piece of the sliding follower F, to be hereinafter described.

Secured upon the inner sides of the front and rear walls is a housing G, and extending through openings in these housings are a pair of parallel flat bars H, which constitute the card retaining and releasing bars or rods. When closed, they lie side by side in a vertical position, as seen in Fig. 7, to permit the cards to be introduced and removed, and when opened to lock the cards in place they occupy a horizontal position, as seen in Fig. 4. The ends of these bars have flaring portions a, as seen in Fig. 4, and at their ends they have trunnions b, which are journaled in the housing G. A doubled spring a, Fig. 3, in the form of a spring-cotter, with its upper looped end secured on a pin d in the housing, has its lower free ends straddling and embracing the inclined ends a of the bars H and serves to normally press said bars together.

Suitably journaled beneath and parallel with the bars H is a rotatable rod I, extending through the front wall C and carrying an operating turn-button e. Fast upon each end of the rod I, within the housing G, is a camplate J, the shape of which is clearly indicated in Figs. 3 and 4. These plates have in them notches f, forming shoulders, which engage one of the inclines a of the bars H when the latter are closed, as seen in Fig. 3, and upon turning the rod I this shoulder spreads outward one of the bars H, whilethe opposite bar is spread by the curved surface of the cams J until the parts assume the position shown in Fig. 4, when the bars are spread entirely apart in their locking position, as will be readily understood. The reverse turning of the rod I permits the springs c to refold the bars H together. Any suitable stop, as at g, may be provided to arrest the rod 2' when turned to its limit in one direction, and the ends of the cam-plates, as at h, coming in contact with the bottom of the housing, as in Fig. 3, serve to arrest the turning of the rod in the opposite direction.

The follower F is of the usual or any suitable construction, with a foot-piece provided with openings 70 Z, Figs. 5 and 6, for the passage of the bars H and rod I, respectively, and a spring 1%, carried by the foot-piece and bearing against the rod I, gives sufficient frictional contact to hold to follower in place.

In Fig. 8 a lower portion of one of the cards L is shown with the usual slot and opening 02 for the passage of the bars H.

Having thus fully described my invention,

20 I claim 1. In a card-file, the combination of a filingbase, a pair of flat card retaining and releasing bars, parallel therewith and having their ends slightly bent outward with pivotingtrunnions thereon,springs engaging said bentout portions of the bars and normally tending to press the same together, a rotatable rod suitably journaled below and parallel to said card-bars, and cam-arms fast on said rotatable rod and engaging the bent-out portions of the card-bars, substantially as described.

2. In a card-file, the combination of the flat swinging bars H provided with bent-out end portions a and trunnions b, the springs 0 engaging the bent-out portions 6, the rotatable rod 1, and the cam-arms J fast thereon and engaging the under sides of the bent-out portions at, substantially as described.

CHRISTIAN KECK.

Witnesses:

WM. J. PEOK, EDWARD PEoK. 

